The Council for a Better Louisiana is the latest group joining the call for a state constitutional convention, according to a press release issued by the organization today.
CABL joins a coalition of 28 Louisiana business groups calling for changes to Louisiana’s constitution. Among the business groups—which have united under the banner “Constitutional Convention 2020—are the Baton Rouge Area Chamber as well as the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. The coalition released a letter to the Legislature Monday calling for a “We the People’s Convention” in which business leaders requested changes to House Bill 500.
Similar to its peer organizations, CABL supports a limited convention focusing on three constitutional articles covering areas where it considers “the most critical attention is needed.” These include local government finance, levee districts and regional flood protection authorities; state revenues and finances; and portions of Article VIII dealing with higher education and K-12 funding.
More broadly, CABL wants a convention focusing on: 1) comprehensive fiscal reform, 2) getting state government out of local affairs and 3) removing constitutional provisions that limit legislator flexibility with the budget.
CABL notes its concerns about HB 500 involving “alternative provisions,” arguing voters should be offered a single package to vote up or down and not “alternative options which may be confusing to the public and yield inconsistent results,” the release says.
